Music Monday: Two bassist and 1965

Someone on my “socials” observed that both Eddie Gomez and Dave Holland had early October birthdays. For lovers of agile, rhythmic, and subtle bass play, this is more than enough reason to listen to albums where Gomez and Holland shine.

For Dave Holland, I decided to listen to two albums he made with Sam Rivers in the mid-1970s. I did not know these albums at all, but I love duets. They did not disappoint. The space between Holland and Rivers allowed both to show off their technical proficiency and their ability to listen. Check out both volumes of this collaborative exploration of sound from 1976 (and if you need a refresher on Sam Rivers, go here).

Dave Holland/Sam Rivers (1976)

Sam Rivers/Dave Holland (1976)

I have to admit that I know Eddie Gomez mostly though his decade-long relationship with Bill Evans. It seems appropriate, then, to celebrate his birthday with the inaugural album in that partnership: A Simple Matter of Conviction (1967) with Shelly Manne on drums. (The album cover is by Chuck Stewart and among the most visually interesting covers of his long career.)

Finally, I’ve been thinking a good bit about the jazz and improvised music released in 1965 and taking some dives into that year’s remarkable discography (highlighted, I suppose, by Coltrane’s A Love Supreme). This weekend, I decided to listen to Don Cherry’s, Complete Communion (1965). Here Cherry performs with Gato Barbieri on tenor saxophone, Henry Grimes on bass, and Edward Blackwell on drums. It’s a great expression of a tightly knit ensemble playing adventurous music: